Day 351 Parkway

November 25, 2015

(If we live with an open and
grateful attitude, every day will bring a gift. This is one of 365 gifts during
the year I turned 70.)

When I was a teenager, I sometimes rode the #15 streetcar downtown to see a movie in Baltimore. When my Uncle Mace suggested that I should see Mondo
Cane, I went to the Little Theatre on Howard Street where foreign films
were shown that never made it to the popular film theaters. This film’s
perspective on global cultural differences and similarities made an impression
on my small, protected life. I began to crave movies that were not in the
popular stream. Years ago, I saw Ingmar Bergman’s film Cries and Whispers
with a friend at the Charles. He walked away disgusted and I walked away
fascinated, thoughts and questions flying through my head, wanting to see it
again.

Tonight David and I entered the Parkway Theatre at
5 W. North Avenue in the evolving Station North Arts District. First built in
1915 and designed by Oliver Birkhead Wight of Baltimore County, the elaborate
interior was done in a Louis XIV style. The architectural elements combine Italian
Renaissance and Beaux-arts. It originally cost $120,000. It went through
several owners and when I was growing up, it was the Five West, known
for classic and foreign films. It closed in the 1970’s.

Out of almost 950 films reviewed by The New York Times in
2013, more than 650 never screened in Baltimore.” (http://www.parkwaycampaign.org)

David and I paid $20 for the last tour of the
crumbling and majestic architecture. This will go toward the fund-raising
campaign, led by the Maryland Film Festival and Jed Dietz, for renovation of
this building, slated to re-open in 2017 as a screening venue for independent
films and a hub for independent filmmakers in the community. I applaud
Baltimoreans who have a vision and who will make it happen.